Craving God - Commentary

Overview

The study for Arts Weekend 2000, Craving God, builds on the SMURF 96 study on worship and complements last year’s study on truth by looking at the spiritual aspect of our worship (John 4:23). 

What do we mean by craving God? It is the active desire and activity of pursuing a deep and meaningful relationship with God. The dictionary says that to crave is to have a very strong desire for or to long for.

People naturally crave spiritual experience and search everywhere to fill the “God shaped hole in their heart”.  In this study we whether we should be expecting more from our relationship with God?  What can we learn from the God chasers of the Bible about how to satisfy our need for transcendent spirituality?  How can we pursue intimacy with God ourselves rather than just read about how the Bible greats described their experience of Him?  What do we substitute for the intimate relationship with God that we are created for?  How can we experience the real thing?

What sort of relationship does God desire with us?  Where are we at now in our relationship with God?  How do we get to where God wants us to be with Him?  How can we experience all the victory and intimacy with God that should be part of the normal Christian life?  Is victory happy enjoyable Christian living?  Is intimacy an overwhelming emotional feeling? 

The format of the discussion questions follow the simple steps given in 2 Chronicles 7:14:  “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Called by God’s Name

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Who are the “called people” that 2 Chronicles 7:14 is referring to?  Why does this verse still relate to us today? 

Chronicles was written to the Israelites at a time that they were far away from God.  God wanted them to come to Him and mapped out a path for them to take in order that they might be restored to the relationship that He called them to.  But what does this have to do with us as Gentile Christians thousands of years later? 

The author of the book of John fills in the gaps between the Old and New Testament and shows how 2 Chronicles 7:14 is relevant to us today, the new Israel.

John 1:11-13

¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  ¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - ¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

John 11:49-52

⁴⁹Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all!  ⁵⁰You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."  ⁵¹He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵²and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.

The author of John clearly believed that Jesus came to save all nations, not just the Jews. As disciples of Jesus we have become part of God's family. The promise made to Israel now extends to all who come to the Father.

What does it mean to be called by God’s name?  What are we called to?

Like the Prodigal Son (Luke 5:11-32) we, as Children of God, have some amazing rights and privileges.  Romans 8:17 says that we are co-heirs with Christ.  The Children of Israel were called to be God’s chosen nation, His children, and enjoy the blessings of an intimate relationship with God.  God calls us to the intimate relationship with Him that He created us for. 

Although you know you are a Child of God, do you ever feel a million miles from God and His blessings?  Well, check out David’s moanings and groanings in Psalm 22:1-2.

Psalm 22:1-2

^22:1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?  ²O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. 

We live in a sinful world and have been infected with sin from birth.  It is this sin that separates us from God.  Like David, we too can feel a million miles from God.  When we feel separated from God we quickly lose our sense of identity, purpose and meaning and cry out “wher are you God?’ like David did. 

Spend a few minutes on your own. Consider, where would you rank yourself on the scale of 1 to 10 from intimacy with God to feeling separated from God?   Why?

Although we have accepted the forgiveness that Jesus offers we can still feel separated from God.  How we feel doesn’t change our salvation but it can sometimes be an indicator of where our relationship with God is at.  

What are some things that can be  lacking from our spiritual walk? Please share, if you can, if any of these is lacking in your walk.

The victorious Christian life isn’t necessarily always euphoric and ecstatic.  Intimacy with God doesn’t always mean that you’ll have no problems, just look at some of the Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah or Isaiah. 

We do sometimes do get complacent with the state of our relationship with God.  But why?  Maybe we tried and didn’t get to where we thought we were going to get to.  Maybe we haven’t ever tasted intimacy with God or haven’t seen it in anyone else.  Whatever the case is, there is always more of God to be known and experienced.  God has more to give of Himself if we would only come humbly and ask for it. 

David was noted as a man after God’s own heart, yet in his prayers he openly expressed his emotions with God when he felt far away or that things weren’t going his way.  How do you seek God’s face when you feel like He has abandoned you?  What are appropriate ways of expressing and dealing with your struggle?

Success or failure in our relationship with God is largely dependent on our choice.  God will not violate our ability to choose and invade our lives if He is not invited.  We need to decide to turn to seek God and pursue Him.  Even Jesus used the words of Psalm 22 on the cross when the sin of the world separated Him from the Father for the first time in eternity on the cross!  When we acknowledge our need for God we have to let that pain of separation and isolation drive us to pursue God with all of our heart, soul and mind.  Yell, scream, cry!  Just go for God!

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

What does it mean to be in an intimate relationship?  What’s involved?

One of the main facets of intimacy is openness and honesty.  Sharing everything every part of your life with the one you love and the One who loves you.  This is the type of relationship that God craves with you.  Do you crave it with Him?

What are your expectations of your relationship with God? 

One’s expectations are largely governed by our previous experiences, what we’ve been taught to expect and what we see in other people.  We need to keep checking out the Bible, reading stories and looking around at what God is doing in the people around us.

If we don’t  allow God to fill our deep needs, then what ends up filling them? 

We have some basic needs for significance, meaning and love that have to be satisfied some how.  God created us in such a way that those needs can only be met in an intimate relationship with Him.  More often than not however, we look to other things to satisfy the cravings that we have that don’t entail the same responsibilities, demands and the commitment that God desires from us.  Just about anything in our world, from sex to chocolate, can become an idol if we put it before God.

Find out what first steps Jeremiah 29:12-14 gives to build our relationship with God.

Jeremiah 29:12-14

¹²Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  ¹³You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  ¹⁴I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." 

This verse is a promise from God that if we do take the risk of seeking Him, we won't be disappointed if we do it with all of our hearts

What do you think it means to seek God’s face? 

Seeking God’s face is not seeking Him for the sake of the blessings that He can give us or the security that having a solid life philosophy can bring.  Seeking God’s face is about seeking an intimate loving relationship with God, just because He is God and deserves to be worshipped and because He loves us so much.

“We can no more catch Him than the east can catch the west; they’re too far removed from each other.  It’s like playing chase with my daughter.  Often as she arrives home from a day of school, we play this little game that countless fathers and children play around the world.  When she comes and tries to catch me, even with my hulking frame, I really don’t have to run.  I just artfully dodge this way and then that, and she can’t even touch me, because a six-year-old can’t catch an adult.  But that’s not really the purpose of the game, because a few minutes into it, she laughingly says, “Oh daddy,” and it’s at that moment that she captures my heart, if not my presence or body.  And then I turn and she’s no longer chasing me, but I’m chasing her, and I catch her and we tumble in the grass with hugs and kisses.  The pursuer becomes the pursued.”  Tommy Tenney, The God Chasers, Page 4.

David was a man of great passion.  Read Psalm 63:1-8. Reflect. Do you crave God the way that David did?  How can you develop the sort of passion for God that David had? 

Psalm 63:1-8

^63:1O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  ²I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.  ³Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  ⁴I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  ⁵My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.  ⁶On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.  ⁷Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.  ⁸My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.  

So often we just get on with our busy lives and don’t listen to our cravings for God.  We fill our lives with other stuff that fills the God shaped hole in our hearts… well sort of.  In our sinful nature we don’t naturally seek God.  We don’t crave and pursue intimacy with God because we are arrogant and don’t want to acknowledge our sin and our need for Him.  The sinful things that we use to fill that void in our lives are usually the things that are most easily accessible.  But even though it might cost us more, if we just search a little bit deeper, God will meet our needs completely, not just partially.

David obviously tasted and experienced God, and insatiably desired more of Him.  How would tasting intimacy with God affect the rest of your life?

Glimpsing God’s glory demands a response.  If we come face to face with God’s glory we will either want to run away because we know we are not worthy to be in God’s presence, or fall down in repentance and worship and beg for mercy and grace. 

Like David, Moses was a man who wanted to know God.  He was even so bold as to ask to see God’s face on Mount Sinai.  The Israelites couldn’t hack it though.  They asked that Moses would speak to them rather than have God speak directly to them.  They wanted him to wear a veil to hide the glory that shone from his face. 

If we choose to come to God in repentance, God grants us His forgiveness so that we may continue to come into the Most Holy Place and continue to seek God’s face. 

If we really taste God our lives will be changed. 

Repentance & Forgiveness

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

You don’t hear the phrase “wicked ways” much these days.  What does this mean in today’s terms? 

The concept of sin and wickedness has basically been removed from our culture.  We can blame who we are and what we do on a multitude of things – from not being breast-fed, to our past lives.   

How would you explain what ‘sin’ is to someone in the street or your non-Christian friends? 

Sin is not necessarily the bad stuff we do.  It is our orientation; towards God or away from Him.   We often think of sin as a certain line that we should not cross.  If we don’t do that or are better than so and so then we’re OK and we can ease our consciences. 

In the Old Covenant sin was defined by a multitude of laws defining what not to do.  In the New Covenant Jesus declared that all those laws were summed up by our orientation towards God and others, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength, and love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 19:19)

What are some “wicked ways” that Christians struggle with?

Christians are sometimes so used to avoiding gross public sin that we forget to acknowledge our sins that are not so obvious.  We ease our consciences with all that good stuff that we can easily forget how wretched we are without God.  Intimacy with God requires us to acknowledge that we are broken and sinful people who are nothing without God.  We have conditioned ourselves to believe that we’ve pretty much got it together.  The truth is that only by releasing ourselves to the Holy Spirit can we see how unworthy we are of God’s grace and how much we really do need it!

Check out 1 John 3:5-10, Revelation 3:15-18 and 1 Peter 1:14-16.  How serious is God about your sin? 

1 John 3:5-10

⁵But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.  ⁶No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.  ⁷Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.  ⁸He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.  ⁹No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.  ¹⁰This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Revelation 3:15-18 

¹⁵I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  ¹⁷You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  ¹⁸I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 

1 Peter 1:14-16

¹⁴As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be Holy because I am Holy.’”

God is very serious about our sin.  He desperately wants us to be holy so that we can experience intimacy with Him.  He cravesa relationship with us, not because He needs it but because He desires it!

Yesterday we looked at how loving and gracious God is, and that we are called to an intimate relationship with Him.  What would your reaction be to God if you only knew the holy and just side of God’s character portrayed in 1 John 3:5-10, Revelation 3:15-18 and 1 Peter 1:14-16?

If we only saw this side of God we would want to run away and hide like Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8) because we know we are sinful and not worthy to be in God’s presence.

If we focus only on God’s grace and His holiness we can get apathetic about our sin and not bother to take the journey of becoming more Christlike. What does Paul say in Romans 6:1&2 and 6:19-23 about grace?

Romans 6:1&2

^6:1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  ²By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 

Romans 6:19-23

¹⁹I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.  ²⁰When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.  ²¹What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!  ²²But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.  ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The fact that we have grace is no reason to become apathetic about our sin.  Our response to God’s grace and mercy should be throwing our whole lives into the pursuit of holiness.  If we take grace for granted, we be asking ourselves if we have really understood it and accepted it?  Do you really love God If you continue to consciously rebel against Him? 

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

What does it mean to be proud or humble?  How would you know what you are most of the time? 

The paradox is that if we think we are humble we really are being proud.  We can’t judge how humble or proud we are by comparing ourselves to those around us.  We can only judge where we are really at by comparing ourselves to perfection, Jesus (Romans 12:3). 

Read Psalm 32.  Discuss David’s journey from pride to humility.  What are the results? 

Psalm 32

^32:1Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  ²Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.  ³When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  ⁴For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.   ⁵Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.  ⁶Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.  ⁷You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.  ⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.  ⁹Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.  ¹⁰Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.  ¹¹Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

It was only when David humbly acknowledged his sin, rather than trying to hide it and fix it himself, that God could really remove the barrier that separated him from God.  We need to desperately cry out to God and acknowledge where we are really at so that he can start working in and through us. 

God doesn’t want us to continue to live in our “wicked ways” that keep us from Him.  He calls us to repentance.

What stops you from totally abandoning yourself to the pursuit of God with every part of your life?  What are you afraid to give up?  

The only way to experience all that God has to offer us and bless us with is to release ourselves fully to Him for Him to use us as He wishes.  We need to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul.  We need to desire Him, crave Him and submit to Him.

Reflect. Are you willing to let go of your pride and confess your sin like David did?

Individually or in small groups of two or three, pray that God will show you how serious He is about your sin.  Ask Him to help you to acknowledge your sin to Him and to work through you to become more Christlike.  Discuss with someone or write down the steps that you feel you need to take to become more intimate in your relationship with God. 

The result

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Have you ever had a relationship where you’ve hurt someone and then asked for forgiveness? How did the relationship change after this? 

While there is unresolved hurt in a relationship there can never be complete wholeness.  God encourages us to seek resolution and forgiveness of the hurt that we will always cause when in relationships (Ephesians 4:26, Matthew 5:23&24).  In the same way, humbly acknowledging our wrong before God will bring openness and intimacy with Him.

Now we look at God’s response when we really seek God and His will for our lives.  Check out 1 Corinthians 15:55-58, 1 John 1:8-2:2, & Hebrews 10:19-25.  What are some of the awesome things that happen when we turn to God? 

1 Corinthians 15:55-58

⁵⁵"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"  ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  ⁵⁷But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  ⁵⁸Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain. 

1 John 1:8-2:2

⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.  ^2:1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 

Hebrews 10:19-25

¹⁹Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²²let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  ²³Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  ²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  ²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 

How do we manage to hold anything back from God when the blessings of relationship with Him are so enormous!  We are released from death and sin and free to serve God.  Then, because of the price paid for forgiveness by Jesus, we can enter the Most Holy Place and experience intimacy with God this side of heaven! 

Why do we sometimes doubt God’s forgiveness and still feel bad?  How can we move from the knowledge of forgiveness to heart acceptance of forgiveness? 

God’s love and forgiveness is sometimes too huge to comprehend.  We are so focussed on ourselves and how needy we are that we sometimes don’t believe that God is big enough and loving enough to forgive us.  He is big enough.  

Describe a time when you have known God’s conviction and forgiveness.  What did you feel at the time?  How did it affect your life? 

Real repentance draws us closer to God and intimacy with God will cause us to change.  The saying “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” is true of our worship of God too.  As we get to know God and love Him more and more we will want to imitate and obey Him. 

What does it mean to enter the “Most Holy Place”?  What is the key to getting there? 

The Most Holy Place in the Jewish Temple was the inner sanctum where God’s presence was.  A priest would go in once a year to offer a sacrifice, complete with a rope around his leg to drag him out just in case God was not pleased with him or his sacrifice and something happened to him.   Hebrews 10:19 says that now, through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, we can confidently enter into God’s presence and satisfy our cravings for intimacy with Him. 

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

What do you think it means to “heal their land”? 

God’s promise here was to restore the whole country to God as his chosen, called children of Israel.  Sometimes we dream that things would be better in our church, or maybe that a handful of churches would get on better.  But the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 says that if we humbly seek Gods face He will not just heal our little Christian group but that repentance and restoration would spill out our into the streets of our city and country!    Can you get your head around that?

Last night we saw the result of people seeking God’s healing for Columbia.  What do you think God is wanting to heal in your world? 

When we truly turn to God and agree to live life on His terms our lives change, and therefore the world around us changes.  Check out Galatians 5:22-25, James 1:26-27, James 3:17& 18 and Romans 5:1& 2.  What are the practical things that happen when we seek God and let the Holy Spirit guide our lives? 

Galatians 5:22-25

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  ²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

James 1:26-27

²⁶If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.  ²⁷Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 

James 3:17&18

¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  ¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. 

Romans 5:1&2

^5:1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 

We are broken vessels of God’s righteousness who are to shine like stars as a witness to this “crooked and depraved generation” (Philippians 2:15).  If we could only let the Holy Spirit take over our lives we would make a significant difference in our world as God brings conviction and repentance to those who do not yet know Him. 

Check out the “beatitudes” in Matthew 5:3-12.  Think about how the world around you would change if you had these characteristics.

Matthew 5:3-12

³"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  ⁵Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  ⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.  ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ¹¹"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

Soon you’ll be going home.  Spend some time referring back to the beatitudes or any other of the passages that we’ve looked at today and reflect on the things in your life that you have not been given fully to God.  How would your life change if you did?

Map out some steps to develop a more intimate relationship with God.  Share with someone on camp what you are going to do and ask them to keep you accountable.  Now pray with them.